cliff and of course the economy next year, i think the dollar is going to drift a little bit weaker. nothing dramatic, but i think it will drift a little weaker as the year progresses. > thanks tim. have a good trading day. > > thanks. just in time for the holidays, hostess brands' layoff of more than 18,000 employees is part of a bulge in end-of-the-year layoffs this year. job cuts are up for the third straight month, and our cover story looks at whether this is a trend that may continue in the new year. job cuts nationwide were up for the third consecutive month in november. november would have been lower, but hostess brands' 18,500 layoffs as a part of bankruptcy pushed the number higher. "it's not a reflection of the strength of the economy as a whole." since january, the number of announced layoffs is actually 13% lower than it was in 2011. that's despite a dreadful january and february that saw more than 50,000 layoffs at american airlines, pepsico, j.c. penney, metlife and procter and gamble. "those are very specific company-based layoffs. they're not even sector-based." hoste